Hummus. Taste of Arabia

March 31, 2017

The 3rd culinary journey is in Egypt, the origin of this delicious dish. Hummus or as they call it in Arabic ,,hummus bi tahina” is a worldwide known appetizer, especially eaten in countries as Israel, Turkey, Greece, Lebanon and Egypt.

I discovered this recipe barely two years ago when being in a supermarket I found a can of chickpeas on one of their shelf and I said: ,,let’s see what I can do with it’’. I came home and I found on the internet this hummus recipe. Since then I was crazy about it and I make it quite often because I really like it. There’s no week without eating hummus in my house.

It is an appetizer/dip that it can be made in less than 10 minutes, you just need basic ingredient, which is chickpeas, some spices and a blender. Hummus, is actually the result of chickpea paste and tahini paste. I rarely use tahini (sesame paste) in my hummus recipes, because this paste is just a plus of extra calories, which I am trying to avoid.

Chickpeas are rich in fiber, vitamins like B6, B9, folic acid, but also in minerals beneficial to the body: phosphorus, iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium. Chickpeas are also an important source of protein, which makes them perfect for both vegetarians and for those who have a vegan lifestyle. Of course they can be included anytime in a carnivorous diet. Being rich in fiber, chickpeas will help you feel satiated, but also it will cut your appetite.

Hummus is a very versatile appetizer / dip that can be eaten at breakfast and lunch or dinner. It also goes well for a simple, quick snack. It can be put in a casserole and taken to work / college, but it certainly can be on your table on special occasions, along with other type of food.

Different ways to eat hummus:

spread 2-3 tablespoons of hummus on a pita and add some cut vegetables

with whole wheat crakers

fill some mini-tarts with a little bit of hummus and add on top small slices of tomatoes, olives or pomegranate and you will impress anyone with this mini-appetizers

simply put it in a bowl and eat it with some cut vegetables (this is how I eat it most of the time)

Now that I’ve explained what hummus is and how you can eat it, let’s see how you can make it! This is my HUMMUS recipe!

____________________________________INGREDIENTS 1 can of cooked chickpeas or you can buy raw chickpeas and boil them 2 cloves of garlic (or to taste) juice of half lemon 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil salt&pepper (to taste)

* If you don’t want to use canned chickpeas, you can buy uncooked chickpeas and boil them (you will find all the instructions on the package). I always prefer the quicker version and buy the canned one.____________________________________PREPARATIONDrain the chickpeas, put them in a strainer and wash them a bit under running water. Put them in a blender with the garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and the juice of half lemon. Blend all the ingredients until they become a smooth paste. You can add extra olive oil, lemon juice, water, of ever a bit of the liquid from the can in which the chickpeas were if you see that the hummus doesn’t have the texture that you want. As I didn’t use tahini, but stil I wanted to feel the taste of sesame, I preferred to add 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds into the composition.

I chose to garnish my hummus with crunchy chickpeas, roasted in the oven (10-15 mins) and seasoned with salt, pepper and cinnamon. The good part is that hummus can be eaten at breakfast with 1-2 slices of whole wheat bread, but it can also be an easy lunch or dinner, next to which you can put some vegetables or a pita.

Hummus is quite nourishing, if you eat a few tablespoons and you’re already full, I promise!

Enjoy!

Nicole.

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